Hundreds of thousands of women receive hysterectomies each year. At least half of these are unnecessary, and some studies show that up to 90% of all hysterectomies performed each year are done so unnecessarily. 90% is of course an astronomical number, but even if “only” 50% of hysterectomies performed each year are unnecessary, we’re still talking about 300,000 women each and every year who have this procedure without due cause.
But why would medical doctors recommend so many of these surgeries to these women if many of them weren’t necessary? There are numerous reasons, but there are two primary reasons why this procedure is performed on so many women. First of all, there’s the financial incentive involved, which of course is the case not only with hysterectomies, but with other surgeries as well. Even with the cuts these providers receive through the insurance companies, they still make good money by performing these surgeries. Plus, many medical doctors don’t see the harm in performing such a surgery, as they don’t consider the long term consequences.
A second reason why most medical doctors recommend these surgeries is because they don’t know what else to do. For example, if a woman has uterine fibroids, many consider a hysterectomy as the only option. Most medical doctors aren’t trained to use alternative methods. Once again, this is the case with many other conditions as well, including thyroid conditions. This is the same reason why most endocrinologists recommend RAI for people with hyperthyroidism, as well as thyroid hormone for people with hypothyroid disorders. They simply don’t know what else to do.
What Is The Cause Of Most Hysterectomies?
There are multiple reasons medical doctors use to justify why a hysterectomy is recommended. Uterine fibroids and increased uterine lining are two of the more common reasons. Some women with endometriosis will also end up receiving this surgery. A uterine prolapse is another reason why this procedure will be recommended. And while sometimes a hysterectomy is needed, such as in certain types of cancer, sometimes with severe uterine fibroids, or other extreme conditions, many times these conditions can be cured naturally. But as you know, most medical doctors don’t know how to treat such conditions naturally, and therefore never try to correct the actual cause of the problem.
Estrogen dominance is a hormonal imbalance that causes many problems. It can cause or contribute to the development of a thyroid condition (I wrote a previous blog post about this), and it also can lead to many of the problems which will cause a doctor to recommend a hysterectomy. In order to determine whether someone has estrogen dominance, a female hormone panel should be obtained, which will show the ratio of estrogen to progesterone, as well as the levels of some of the other hormomes which could also be a factor.
How To Prevent A Woman From Getting A Hysterectomy
For those women who want to avoid having a hysterectomy, the primary goal is to first find out what is causing the problem, and then if possible, get to the underlying cause of the problem. For example, if the problem is uterine fibroids, one needs to keep in mind that estrogen dominance is a common cause of them. So if a women has estrogen dominance which is causing the development of one these fibroids, and if the uterine fibroid isn’t too large and thereby causing complications, then the obvious solution is to correct the estrogen dominance. If you have been reading my articles and blog posts for awhile, then you probably know that correcting such a hormone imbalance can be accomplished through a purification program, eating well, and changing other lifestyle factors.
Sometimes taking natural progesterone is also necessary to correct estrogen dominance, but most of the time this condition can be corrected without taking any hormones. The good news is that since many people with thyroid conditions have estrogen dominance, by correcting the hormonal imbalance this not only will reduce the likelihood of you having a hysterectomy recommended by your medical doctor, but it can also help restore your thyroid health as well.
What If You’ve Already Had A Hysterectomy?
If you already have had a hysterectomy, you still need to correct the underlying hormone imbalance. And if your ovaries were also removed, then you most likely will need to take some natural progesterone regularly. So just because you had a hysterectomy doesn’t mean the underlying cause can’t be addressed, although lifetime support with hormones and/or certain nutritional supplements is usually necessary.
Speaking of removing the ovaries, many doctors will justify removing the ovaries because they will tell their patients that this will eliminate any chance of them getting ovarian cancer, which is of course true. However, they will also tell them there is no use for their ovaries after the uterus has been removed, which isn’t true. In addition, while removing the ovaries will eliminate any chance of the women developing ovarian cancer, research shows an increased incidence of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.
By the way, some medical doctors will recommend unopposed estrogen to all of their female patients who have a hysterectomy. This is usually a huge mistake, especially for those who have received this surgery due to the effects caused by estrogen dominance. Since this deficiency involves either a decrease in progesterone or an increase in estrogen, giving estrogen will drive the women further into estrogen dominance, further exacerbating the symptoms. Giving progesterone along with the estrogen may be a better option, but many women don’t need estrogen at all. Once again, rather than make any assumptions, a female hormone panel needs to be obtained.
In summary, hundreds of thousands of women receive a hysterectomy each year unnecessarily, when following a simple natural protocol would have corrected this problem. While sometimes this surgery is needed, if your doctor recommends it to you, it’s a good idea to seek the advice of a competent holistic doctor as a second opinion. This can help you determine whether or not this procedure can be avoided. If you have already received a hysterectomy and are still having severe symptoms, keep in mind that the underlying cause probably hasn’t been addressed, and until it is, these symptoms are likely to persist.